Official - Shelby GT350 Mustang debut

[BlkThndr66]

Just revealed:

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/show...elby-6265.html

[SpeedIsLife]

Ford confirms it's a FPC 5.2L.

Props to Ford for being technologically innovative!

[Fenderaddict2]

https://media.ford.com/content/fordm...d-returns.html

[King T]

[King T]

(Car And Driver)







2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Debuts with Flat-Crank V-8 and MagneRide Shocks!

The GT350 is back, baby. The last factory Ford Mustang to wear the vaunted badge disappeared nearly a half-century ago; based on the Mustang GT, it was a street-legal track weapon produced in partnership with Carroll Shelby. Ol’ Shel may now be gone, but the ties between his name and Ford’s pony car are as strong as ever. And the new GT350, which picks up where the original GT350 and the 2013 Boss 302 left off, may be the best-ever example of the breed.

The outgoing GT500, the most recent Mustang with a Shelby badge, was all about violent, face-flattening velocity, teaming 662 bombastic, supercharged horses with a solid rear axle. Ford’s newest Shelby takes an entirely different approach. For starters, it’s based on the latest “S550” Mustang chassis, which packs a fully independent rear suspension. The GT350 builds on that with Ford’s first suspension with magnetorheological dampers, unique bodywork that’s shaped for aerodynamics first and everything else second, and a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V-8 with a flat-plane crankshaft. It’s a thoroughly modern pony built for racetracks with apexes instead of those with burnout boxes. (Ford isn’t abandoning that niche, however, as a new GT500 is in the works.)

We Can’t Complain, It’s on a Flat-Plane

The V-8 engine skips turbo- or supercharging in favor of a sky-high redline—there’s no official number yet, but we’ve heard 8000-plus rpm—and that fancy flat-plane crank, a trick favored by Ferrari. For those unfamiliar, a flat crankshaft design involves attaching the crank pins at 180-degree intervals rather than the usual 90; this allows for a firing order that bounces back and forth between the two cylinder banks with little to no overlap in exhaust pulses.

It’s all about better breathing, and it results here, says Ford, in the most powerful naturally aspirated engine the company has ever produced. The carmaker hasn’t yet released final output ratings, but it does tell us to expect more than 500 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. Hell. Yes. For comparison, the Boss 302 made 444 horses and 380 lb-ft from a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8, and the new Mustang GT gets 435 and 400 from its updated five-oh.

If there’s anything flat-crank engines are known for beyond big revs and a bunch of power, it’s their unique sound. On this point, Ford promises we won’t be disappointed: “Make no mistake, this is an American interpretation of a flat-plane crankshaft V-8, and the 5.2-liter produces a distinctive, throaty howl.” Happily—very, very happily—the engine can be paired only with a six-speed manual. Output is then routed to a standard-equipment Torsen limited-slip differential; a diff cooler can be ordered, and it feeds on airflow directed from the rear diffuser.

As mentioned, the new Shelby features MagneRide, Ford’s first-ever application of the continuously controlled magnetorheological damping system. This setup alters shock stiffness at each corner independently every 10 milliseconds based on the car’s yaw angle and suspension load. The GT350 joins various General Motors vehicles—including the Corvette and the Camaro ZL1—the Audi TT and R8, and multiple Ferraris in offering the technology. In the Shelby, the suspension can be cycled through five modes, which also control steering effort, throttle sensitivity, the exhaust, and programming of the ABS and traction- and stability-control systems.

Advanced Shocks and Beefy Brakes, Too

Compared with the regular Mustang GT, the Shelby has tweaked springs and bushings, a wider front track, and a ride height lowered by an as-yet-unspecified amount. The new Mustang is already a stiff piece, but Ford says rigidity is bolstered here by an injection-molded carbon-fiber-composite grille surround—yes, really, although we’re a bit dubious of its effectiveness—and an optional lightweight strut-tower brace.

Unlike the carbon-ceramic-brake-equipped Camaro Z/28, Ford opted for two-piece iron rotors with aluminum hats for the GT350. They ought to deliver stupefying deceleration all the same, as they measure 15.5 inches up front and 15.0 inches at the rear. Six-piston Brembo calipers squeeze the front discs, while four-piston units are installed at the rear. The new Shelby rolls on 19-inch aluminum wheels 10.5-inches wide up front and 11.0-inches wide out back; sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport gumballs with a GT350-specific tread face, sidewall construction, and compound are standard.

As for aesthetics, every body panel forward of the A-pillar is unique to the new Shelby, with a lower, steeper aluminum hood designed to more tightly hug the engine below. A large central heat extractor maximizes underhood airflow and is said to reduce front-end lift.

A Couple More Special Messages to Go

Aluminum front fenders with larger flares cover the Shelby’s wider rolling stock, while inner and outer fender venting extracts air from the wheel wells and sends it down the car’s flanks. Inlets in the front fascia send air to the front brakes and—with the available Track Pack—to optional coolers for the transmission and engine oil. An aggressive Shelby-labeled front splitter will help downforce and make parking-lot curbing a headache. There’s a low-profile decklid spoiler, an underbelly aero tray, and the aforementioned rear diffuser, too.

Inside, Recaro sport seats and a flat-bottom steering wheel make the car’s mission pretty clear, and the instrument panel loses some brightwork to cut down on glare. An optional Tech Pack brings power seat adjustment and leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control, upgraded Shaker audio, and the eight-inch MyFord Touch infotainment screen.

The 2016 Mustang GT used the last-generation Boss as its benchmark, and the all-new pony is indeed a tremendously capable, rewarding, and satisfying car. The Shelby GT350, however, appears poised to put overall Mustang performance on another plain—and we’re only partially referring to its engine. We can’t wait to experience this one for ourselves.

[King T]

(Motor Authority)


2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Packs New V-8, Serious Track Upgrades

If you thought you might have to wait some time before the storied Shelby name gets spliced back into the Mustang narrative, think again. An all-new Mustang Shelby GT350, based on the all-new sixth-generation Mustang, is already here—ahead of its official debut later this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. However, this time the car has been developed by Ford Motor Company's [NYSE:F] own SVT performance division and not Shelby American, which ceased production of its own GT350 last year.

There will be something new and special under the hood of this latest beast, and rest assured it’s a V-8. The 2016 Shelby GT350 has what the automaker is calling its most powerful naturally aspirated Ford production engine ever. Ford won’t say exactly where power and torque ratings land, but it confirms that the new top pony will make more than 500 horsepower and more than 400 pound-feet of torque.

Ford says that the new “unique, high-revving” 5.2-liter V-8 has a racing-derived arrangement that spaces crank pins at 180-degree intervals rather than 90-degree ones, which is typical in normal-production models—yes, we're talking a flat-plane crank here. That effectively reduces the overlap of exhaust-pressure pulses, improving breathing—albeit potentially with some sacrifice in smoothness.

That engine is said to make the most of the new Mustang’s finessed chassis dynamics, and it comes paired with a six-speed manual gearbox.

MagneRide comes to Ford

As for those dynamics, this is Ford’s first application of the MagneRide magnetorheological suspension system—one that’s already used across a wide range of performance cars and well-respected. It can fine-tune damping at each wheel, in milliseconds, to filter out road harshness yet provide crisp responses when needed for abrupt maneuvers and in high-performance driving. The GT350 also includes a Ford-tuned Torsen limited-slip differential, which should especially help gain better traction and grip out of corners.

The GT350 also includes special 19-inch alloy wheels—10.5 inches wide in front, 11.0 inches wide in back—with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires and sidewall construction, tread face, and compound all specific to this model. Brakes have been upgraded with big Brembo six-piston fixed calipers and four-piston calipers in back.

Actually a different silhouette than other ‘Stangs

In order to offer up the most performance possible with all those technical upgrades, the GT350 has an aerodynamically optimized shape, ahead of the windshield, that’s unique and up to two inches lower than that of the regular Mustang models. Ford lowered and sloped the hood a bit more versus the base Mustang, while the front fascia is resculpted, with a more aggressive front splitter and a functional hood outlet that aids with cooling as well in reducing front-end lift at high speeds. And they further improved the stiffness of the Mustang’s front end with a new injection-molded carbon fiber composite grille opening and an (optional) front tower-to-tower brace.

Fender vents, an angled-forward grille, a high-pressure engine air intake, and front-brake cooling ducts are additional functional improvements that all factor into this model’s performance. With the Track Pack, the GT350 also includes an engine oil cooler and transmission cooler.

Inside, there’s a flat-bottom steering wheel, as well as an upgraded gauge cluster. And Ford claims to have spent hundreds of hours and many prototypes in developing the special Recaro sport seats, which have a unique cloth upholstery.

Multi-mode driver control system

The 2016 Shelby GT350 comes with a new driver control system with five modes that each offer their own calibration of the anti-lock braking system, stability control, steering effort, throttle mapping, MagneRide suspension tuning, and exhaust settings.

A Tech Pack will bring power leather-trimmed seats plus upgraded Shaker Audio, an eight-inch MyFord Touch screen, and dual-zone automatic climate control.

Ford hasn’t yet confirmed when the GT350 goes on sale, and there are still plenty of important things yet to be released—like performance numbers. So stay tuned for that, as well as all the rest live from the Los Angeles Auto Show this week.

[BaylorCamaro]

I WANT IT!

[MEDISIN]

Originally Posted by SpeedIsLife

Ford confirms it's a FPC 5.2L.

Props to Ford for being technologically innovative!

Very cool for Ford to make this happen. Given the cost of development and what I suspect will be the only vehicle at FoMoCo to use this power plant, I'm doubting the price will be the $50,000 car blue oval fans were hoping for. Closer to M4, Z/28 money if I had to guess.

[big hammer]

I hope it doesn't get that MT82 junk.

[matt55]

Hood/front end looks stellar.

[SpeedIsLife]

Originally Posted by MEDISIN

Very cool for Ford to make this happen. Given the cost of development and what I suspect will be the only vehicle at FoMoCo to use this power plant, I'm doubting the price will be the $50,000 car blue oval fans were hoping for. Closer to M4, Z/28 money if I had to guess.

If, and that's an IF the size of Alaska, Ford is serious about making a new Ford GT, I could see a FI version of this motor in that, that is if this motor will be boost friendly.

There are so many details unfilled about this mill, I could see it easily being a LS7 "type" motor, great NA..touchy about boost in stock form.

I don't see this car having a base less than the high 50's. CC brakes and all the "track pack" or R level whatever the BlueOvals are furiously going nuts for over at M6G will push this car into Z/28/M4/M3 levels without a single drop of sweat falling.

[Fenderaddict2]

Looks like Ford is saving the CF wheels and brakes and I'd guess a rear seat delete for the GT350R.

[1QwikZ28]

Jesus, I just messed my pants....

[87GNX]

SICK an they fixd the front end.